Description

From New YorkTimes and USA Today bestselling author Gemma Halliday, whose books have been downloaded over a million times, comes a novel with the physiological thrill of Gone Girl and the suspenseful twists of Big Little Lies...

She faked her death to escape life in a war torn country. But now her enemies have tracked her down, and this time they want her to stay dead.

Anya Danielovich lives with the guilt of what she had to do to survive when her native country divided against itself. But that was a long time ago. Today she’s become Anna Smith, a single, thirtysomething woman living in San Francisco with a simple desire to lead a better life. Even if she is still haunted by her past—the enemies she made, the mentor she betrayed, the woman she was. She’s taken care to cover her tracks over the years, but she’s beginning to feel like she’s being watched…

Nick Dade is a hired gunman, the best of the best. He’s read Anya’s file, knows the unspeakable acts she committed, and after weeks of surveillance, he’s ready to pull the trigger on his latest target. That is until someone else beats him to the punch. With his agenda shattered, Dade is suddenly thrown together with the woman he’s been sent to eliminate. Who is she really? Who hired the second hit? And who can he trust?

What critics are saying:

"Exciting first in a thriller series replete with hit men, high-speed chases, and international crime."

—Publishers Weekly

"Starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. The action is gripping and the characters are compelling. Four stars!"

—RT Book Review

"Halliday combines investigation with the inevitable romance for a mystery that’s enjoyably 'by the book.'"

—Kirkus Review

Note: This is a second edition rerelease of a work previously title "Play Nice."

About the author

Gemma Halliday is the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Kindle bestselling author of several mystery series for both adults and young adults. Her books have won numerous awards, including a Golden Heart, two National Reader's Choice awards and three RITA nominations. You can read more about her books here: http://www.gemmahalliday.com

My review

Review from

Reviews

4.0

1 total

Rhonda Martin

Review: Play Nice I found myself drawn into this book right from the start. The description of Anya's last job as an assasin was full of suspense. I really liked the two main characters -- Anna (Anya's new name for ...

Jane Doe

PLAY NICE A former assassin can't seem to hide from her past.Anna Smith's life is boring. She works at the Golden Gate Animal Shelter, then comes home to her dog Lenny. It's a good thing that Lenny is such ...

User reviews

Rhonda Martin

Goodreads

Review: Play Nice I found myself drawn into this book right from the start. The description of Anya's last job as an assasin was full of suspense. I really liked the two main characters -- Anna (Anya's new name for ...

PLAY NICE A former assassin can't seem to hide from her past.Anna Smith's life is boring. She works at the Golden Gate Animal Shelter, then comes home to her dog Lenny. It's a good thing that Lenny is such ...

Similar

From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Gemma Halliday...

Cameron Dakota is the L.A. Informer's staff photographer and paparazzi extraordinaire. Her latest subject is Trace Brody, top-shelf actor and half of America's favorite Hollywood couple. Trace is about to get married in a blow-out wedding, and Cam's editor, Felix Dunn (from the High Heels Mysteries), has assigned her to get the first shots of the bride and groom. But when Cam takes pictures of what looks like Trace being threatened at gunpoint, she suddenly finds herself smack in the middle of a scandal more sensational than even she could invent. On the run, under fire, and in serious danger of falling in love with one leading man, Cam must get to the bottom of this story... before she becomes tomorrow's headline.

"The latest in the Hollywood Headlines series is 320 pages of pure fun. Halliday has created yet another laugh-out-loud whodunit. She breathes life into her mystery with a rich cast of vivid, pulp-fiction type characters and a heroine worth rooting for. 4 1/2 stars!" - Romantic Times

"Gemma Halliday's witty, entertaining writing style shines through in her new book! I look forward to seeing lots more of Tina as this series continues. A fun read!" - Fresh Fiction

"(HOLLYWOOD SCANDALS) is a great start to a new series that I will definitely be following as Halliday writes the kind of books that just make you smile and put you in a great mood. They're just so enjoyable and I would without a doubt recommend this book to romance and mystery readers alike." - Enchanted By Books

"(HOLLYWOOD SCANDALS) is very well written with smart and funny dialogue. It is a well-paced story that is thoroughly enjoyable with a mystery, a little romance, and a lot of laughs. Readers are sure to enjoy this delightful tale which is highly recommended." - Romance Reviews Today

First I find out that my boyfriend is cheating on me. Then he’s pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And now he’s depending on me to clear his name. Seriously?

As much as I wouldn’t mind watching him squirm, I know that he’s innocent. So I’m brushing off my previously untapped detective skills and getting down to business. But I keep tripping over dead bodies and I’m still no closer to figuring out who did it. And what’s worse: all signs seem to point to me as the killer’s next victim.

From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Gemma Halliday...

Tina Bender is the gossip columnist at the infamous L.A. Informer tabloid. She knows everything about everyone who's anyone. And she's not afraid to print it. That is, until she receives a threatening note, promising, "If you don't stop writing about me, you're dead." Now her managing editor, Felix Dunn (from the High Heels Mysteries), has her teaming with a built bodyguard, a bubbly blonde, and an alcoholic obituary writer to uncover just which juicy piece of Hollywood gossip is worth killing over.

"This first book in Halliday's new Hollywood Headlines series is a fun story with intriguing characters and a good mystery. The action is fast paced, the hero is delightful and the heroine is spunky and independent but smart enough to know when she needs help." - Romantic Times

“(HOLLYWOOD SCANDALS) is fresh, funny, and has just enough heart to balance the snark.” - All About Romance

"Gemma Halliday's witty, entertaining writing style shines through in her new book! I look forward to seeing lots more of Tina as this series continues. A fun read!" - Fresh Fiction

L.A. shoe designer Maddie Springer hasn't seen her father since he reportedly ran off to Las Vegas with a showgirl named Lola. So she's shocked when he leaves a desperate plea for help on her answering machine—ending in a loud bang. Gunshot? Car backfire? Never one to leave her curiosity unsatisfied, Maddie straps on her stilettos and, along with her trigger-happy best friend, makes tracks for Sin City in search of her MIA dad.

Maddie hits the jackpot, all right. She finds not only her dad, but also a handful of aging drag queens, an organized crime ring smuggling fake Prada pumps, and one relentless killer. Plus, it seems the LAPD's sexiest cop is doing a little Vegas moonlighting of his own. In a town where odds are everything, Maddie bets it all on her ability to out-step a vicious murderer. She just hopes her gamble pays off…before her own luck runs out.

Other Books in the High Heels Series: #1 Spying in High Heels #2 Killer in High Heels #3 Undercover in High Heels #3.5 Christmas in High Heels (short story) #4 Alibi in High Heels #5 Mayhem in High Heels #5.5 Honeymoon in High Heels (short story) #5.75 Sweetheart in High Heels (novella) #6 Fearless in High Heels #7 Danger in High Heels

"KILLER IN HIGH HEELS is 'packing' with action, hilarity, danger, almost-sex, and fashion wows and woes. Gemma Halliday gives the reader nothing but pure indulgence and fabulous fun!" ~ Once Upon a Romance

"This is a first-rate, humorous mystery and one you can't help but grin and giggle all the way through." ~ Romance Reader at Heart

"KILLER IN HIGH HEELS is a humorous, delectable romp you won't want to miss!" ~ Romance Junkies

"Gemma Halliday's Maddie Springer is like the west coast version of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum - only more stylish!" - LG Book Club

Maddie Springer is finally walking down the aisle with the man of her dreams. And she's got the perfect wedding planner to pull it all off in style. Well, perfect, that is, until the woman winds up dead - murdered in buttercream icing. Suddenly Maddie's hope of a dream wedding melts faster than an ice sculpture at an outdoor buffet. And when her groom-to-be is assigned the detective in charge of the case, there goes any chance of a honeymoon. Unless, of course, Maddie can find the murderer before her big day. With the help of her fellow fashionista friends, Maddie vows to unveil the cold-blooded killer. Is it the powerful ex-husband, the hot young boy toy, a secret lover from the past, or a billionaire bridezilla on the warpath? As the wedding day grows closer, tempers flare, old flames return, and Maddie's race to the altar turns into a race against time.

Other Books in the High Heels Series: #1 Spying in High Heels #2 Killer in High Heels #3 Undercover in High Heels #3.5 Christmas in High Heels (short story) #4 Alibi in High Heels #5 Mayhem in High Heels #5.5 Honeymoon in High Heels (short story) #5.75 Sweetheart in High Heels (novella) #6 Fearless in High Heels #7 Danger in High Heels

#8 Homicide in High Heels

#9 Deadly in High Heels

What critics are saying about Mayhem in High Heels:

"I love how Gemma Halliday intertwines laughter and romance with grit, suspense and murder. Her characters have incredible depth, which makes you feel like you know them on a personal level. Her story, MAYHEM IN HIGH HEELS, sparkles with charm unlike any other murder mystery." - Romance Junkies

"Funny and appealing, Halliday's hapless detective is a pleasure to watch as she somehow manages to solve another mystery." - Booklist

"Do not wait -- rush right out and get MAYHEM IN HIGH HEELS and join Maddie and her gang for a thrilling mystery adventure!" - Romance Reviews Today

"Fans will no doubt enjoy the (5th book) in this fun series." - Enchanting Reviews

"This fifth...installment in Halliday's High Heels series is wonderfully entertaining, with an absorbing and complex mystery. Her pleasingly non-ass-kicking heroine -- with her entourage of quirky and fascinating family and friends -- makes this a fitting (5th) to these fun stories." - Romantic Times, 4 stars

Morning sickness sucks. Which is why fashion designer turned amateur sleuth Maddie Springer has spent the last six weeks being a couch potato and Moonlight vampire movie devotee. But when Maddie's best friends finally convince her to venture out, Maddie stumbles on a dead body of a girl who has been bitten on the neck, and life suddenly imitates art in the most deadliest of ways. Now Maddie is smack in the middle of a murder investigation involving a deadly dance club and a coven of Hollywood "vampires." Not to mention navigating the world of baby showers, diaper genies and Lamaze classes with her LAPD Homicide detective husband who would rather his pregnant wife not continue popping up in his murder investigation. Between the hormones, the homicides, and a flurry of fangs, Maddie and her gang work to track down the deadly truth...before the killer bites again!

Other Books in the High Heels Series: #1 Spying in High Heels #2 Killer in High Heels #3 Undercover in High Heels #3.5 Christmas in High Heels (short story) #4 Alibi in High Heels #5 Mayhem in High Heels #5.5 Honeymoon in High Heels (short story) #5.75 Sweetheart in High Heels (novella) #6 Fearless in High Heels #7 Danger in High Heels

"Gemma Halliday writes like a seasoned author leaving the reader hanging on to every word, every clue, every delicious scene of the book. It’s a fun and intriguing mystery full of laughs and suspense." - Once Upon A Romance

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gemma Halliday & Anna Snow...

Tabloid reporter Allie Quick thinks she has the hottest story in Hollywood when she lands an exclusive with the scandalous Bobby Baxter—host of the exposé TV show Bobby Tells All. But when Bobby turns up dead just hours before her interview, Allie wonders just whom he was planning to “tell all” about. Between an angry fan, a crew full of disgruntled employees, an estranged wife, and a list of secrets about to be exposed there’s no shortage of people who wouldn’t mind seeing Bobby cancelled permanently. And Allie isn’t the only one digging—her rival is hot on her tail, and her editor-in-chief and maybe-boyfriend, Felix Dunn, isn’t playing favorites when it comes to headlines. With the help of her eclectic co-workers at the L.A. Informer and a teenaged hacker with a major crush, Allie vows to get to the truth about Bobby’s death…before the killer gets to her.

"Halliday's Hollywood Headlines series is a fun story with intriguing characters and a good mystery. The action is fast paced, the hero is delightful and the heroine is spunky and independent but smart enough to know when she needs help." —RT Book Reviews

"Fresh, funny, and has just enough heart to balance the snark." —All About Romance

"Gemma Halliday's witty, entertaining writing style shines through in her new book! I look forward to seeing lots more of Tina as this series continues. A fun read!" —Fresh Fiction

"Well written with smart and funny dialogue. It is a well-paced story that is thoroughly enjoyable with a mystery, a little romance, and a lot of laughs. Readers are sure to enjoy this delightful tale which is highly recommended." —Romance Reviews Today

From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Gemma Halliday, comes a brand new series...

Her name is Bond. Jamie Bond. And her life is about to be shaken and stirred in a cocktail of sex, lies, scandal, and one very dead body.

Jamie Bond is a former cover model who switches gears to take over the family business: The Bond Agency, a high-powered P.I. firm located in Los Angeles that specializes in domestic espionage—catching cheating husbands. Jamie's assembled a team of other disenchanted former models to help her take names and kick derrieres among L.A.'s wealthiest philandering husbands. Her current client: Mrs. Veronica Waterston, the young, distraught wife of superior court judge, Thomas Waterston, known for his tough sentencing, right-wing leanings, and his fondness for blondes with double D's. Easy target. But Jamie's simple case takes an unexpected turn for the worse when the not-so-good judge winds up on the ten o'clock news with a bullet through his head. It's clear that someone has set Jamie up, and suddenly she's on the run, under fire, and in serious jeopardy of losing it all. With a hot A.D.A. on her trail, a killer on the loose, and her life on the line, Jamie must prove once and for all that nobody messes with a Bond.

From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Gemma Halliday...

Her name is Bond. Jamie Bond. And her luck may have just run out.

P.I. Jamie Bond knows there's corruption in the Los Angeles County D.A.'s office. What she doesn't know is how far it runs and if her on-again, off-again love interest, A.D.A. Aiden Prince, is involved. Is he aware of the danger lurking in his halls of justice? Is he dating his exotic beauty of a co-chair? And why are drug dealers making middle of the night calls to the D.A.? Jamie is determined to find out. But between one case of an "open marriage" wife who fears her husband is secretly monogamous, an Elvis obsessed musician crushing on her employee, and an over-sexed baby-boomer father, Jamie has her hands full. Not to mention one hot photographer, Danny Flynn, who seems determined to take their relationship from "best friend" to "best night of her life." The boundaries between personal and professional blur in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, where no one can be trusted...and not everyone will make it out alive.

From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Gemma Halliday...

Tessie King has just inherited the biggest casino in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada: the Royal Lakeside. What she didn't bargain for are the problems she'd inherit with it.

Having left Tahoe years ago, the underbelly of the casino trade is a far cry from the art world Tessie is used to. High-stakes cons, inside jobs, wise guys... Tessie quickly realizes she's in way over her head. And things go from bad to worse when questions start to arise about the nature of her father's death. Enter FBI agent Devin Ryder, member of the Nevada Organized Crime Task Force. He's had his eye on the Royal Palace for months, and with the suspicious death of its leader, Ryder now has Tessie squarely in his sights. If Tessie doesn't want to be running her casino from behind bars, she needs to find out how her father really died, who's behind it, why, and how to get them into Agent Ryder's hot little hands before he gets his hands on her. All the while catching a con-man, beating the competition, and running a multi-million dollar business.

From New York Times, USA Today and #1 Kindle bestselling author Gemma Halliday comes a new take on the legend of Sherlock Holmes...

Martha "Marty" Hudson has it all...almost. While her best friend, Irene Adler, is a dot-com millionaire many times over, Marty's days are filled with working as a barista at a Stanford University coffee bar, crashing various courses and lectures, and dodging the rent collector at her crummy apartment. But when Marty suddenly finds out that a long-lost aunt has left her a Victorian home at 221 Baker Street in the heart of San Francisco, she's hopeful her luck is about to turn around! Okay, so the Victorian is run down and probably in need of more repairs than Marty could ever afford, but at least it's a link to family. However when Marty starts sifting through the contents of the dilapidated home, she realizes her aunt's death may not have been natural...and might have been a case of murder! Taking her suspicions to the grumpy Detective Lastrade and the uber-hot medical examiner, Dr. John Watson, only gets her a pair of doors slammed in her face. But Marty and Irene don't give up that easily. Instead, they invent fictitious private investigator, Sherlock Holmes, to open those doors for them! Between Marty's eclectic class-crashing knowledge and Irene's tech know-how, "Sherlock Holmes" investigates an over-the-hill yoga teacher, mob shops in Chinatown, pot dispensaries in the East Bay, and a slew of suspicious characters. But when the killer returns—this time with Marty in sight!—even the great Holmes may not be able to save her...at least not without a little help from the girls.

What critics are saying about Gemma Halliday's books:

"A saucy combination of romance and suspense that is simply irresistible."

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gemma Halliday & Anna Snow...

Tabloid reporter Allie Quick thinks she has the hottest story in Hollywood when she lands an exclusive with the scandalous Bobby Baxter—host of the exposé TV show Bobby Tells All. But when Bobby turns up dead just hours before her interview, Allie wonders just whom he was planning to “tell all” about. Between an angry fan, a crew full of disgruntled employees, an estranged wife, and a list of secrets about to be exposed there’s no shortage of people who wouldn’t mind seeing Bobby cancelled permanently. And Allie isn’t the only one digging—her rival is hot on her tail, and her editor-in-chief and maybe-boyfriend, Felix Dunn, isn’t playing favorites when it comes to headlines. With the help of her eclectic co-workers at the L.A. Informer and a teenaged hacker with a major crush, Allie vows to get to the truth about Bobby’s death…before the killer gets to her.

"Halliday's Hollywood Headlines series is a fun story with intriguing characters and a good mystery. The action is fast paced, the hero is delightful and the heroine is spunky and independent but smart enough to know when she needs help." —RT Book Reviews

"Fresh, funny, and has just enough heart to balance the snark." —All About Romance

"Gemma Halliday's witty, entertaining writing style shines through in her new book! I look forward to seeing lots more of Tina as this series continues. A fun read!" —Fresh Fiction

"Well written with smart and funny dialogue. It is a well-paced story that is thoroughly enjoyable with a mystery, a little romance, and a lot of laughs. Readers are sure to enjoy this delightful tale which is highly recommended." —Romance Reviews Today

It's springtime in California! The flowers are in bloom, the fashion week runways are fierce, and fans of America's favorite pastime are filling the baseball stadiums to root for their favorite team. But when the girlfriend of the L.A. Stars rookie MVP winds up dead at a chic Beverly Hills salon, it's suddenly up to fashion designer Maddie Springer to track down the "Tanning Salon Killer." Armed with the help of her wacky cast of friends and family, Maddie finds herself with a list of suspects that includes the cast of the reality TV show Baseball Wives, a desperate blackmail victim, and an entire baseball team! If Maddie can brave the hot dogs and cat fights, she just might be able to catch a killer...before he strikes again!

Other Books in the High Heels Series: #1 Spying in High Heels #2 Killer in High Heels #3 Undercover in High Heels #3.5 Christmas in High Heels (short story) #4 Alibi in High Heels #5 Mayhem in High Heels #5.5 Honeymoon in High Heels (short story) #5.75 Sweetheart in High Heels (novella) #6 Fearless in High Heels #7 Danger in High Heels

"Gemma Halliday writes like a seasoned author leaving the reader hanging on to every word, every clue, every delicious scene of the book. It’s a fun and intriguing mystery full of laughs and suspense." - Once Upon A Romance

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gemma Halliday...

Her name is Bond. Jamie Bond. And danger follows her everywhere…

As a private investigator, Jamie Bond thought she had seen every sort of cheating-spouse case imaginable. That is until she's hired by a wife who's afraid her husband is cheating…on his diet. Rodger Claremont lost mega-pounds eating sandwiches from the Hoagies chain and subsequently became their celebrity spokesman. A position his wife fears he'll quickly lose if the pounds come back on. But what starts as a simple case of following a potentially unfaithful (to his diet) husband, turns deadly when Jamie finds Rodger murdered in his own home. Was the wife afraid of losing her sandwich fortune? Was it a competing fast-food chain out for revenge? Or did Rodger's friendship with a shady rapper named Heavy Cash have anything to do with it? Jamie vows to get to the bottom of it, even if it means stepping on the toes of the investigating assistant district attorney, Aiden Prince—a man Jamie could easily find herself falling for despite her budding attraction to her best friend, photographer Danny Flynn. Caught between two men, Jamie finds herself road-tripping to Vegas, babysitting a pair of Senior Sleuths, searching for a missing ex-boyfriend, and tracking down a cold-blooded killer…who threatens to strike again!

From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Gemma Halliday...

Tessie King has just inherited the biggest casino in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada: the Royal Lakeside. What she didn't bargain for are the problems she'd inherit with it.

Having left Tahoe years ago, the underbelly of the casino trade is a far cry from the art world Tessie is used to. High-stakes cons, inside jobs, wise guys... Tessie quickly realizes she's in way over her head. And things go from bad to worse when questions start to arise about the nature of her father's death. Enter FBI agent Devin Ryder, member of the Nevada Organized Crime Task Force. He's had his eye on the Royal Palace for months, and with the suspicious death of its leader, Ryder now has Tessie squarely in his sights. If Tessie doesn't want to be running her casino from behind bars, she needs to find out how her father really died, who's behind it, why, and how to get them into Agent Ryder's hot little hands before he gets his hands on her. All the while catching a con-man, beating the competition, and running a multi-million dollar business.

Maddie Springer is all about fashion. So when her best friend Dana's movie star boyfriend, Ricky Montgomery, becomes a contestant on the ballroom dance reality hit, Dancing with Celebrities, she is over the moon at the thought of visiting the sparkly, spandexy costumes on the set. That is until Ricky's dance partner is found dead in his dressing room... in the nude! Suddenly the police suspect him of murder, Dana suspects him of cheating on her, and the reporters at the L.A. Informer, Hollywood's most notorious tabloid, have dubbed him "Dancing Death." Now it's up to Maddie to clear his name as she wades through a misfit cast of reality show dancers to find out just who has a grudge against the show's star... and who is in danger of taking their final bow next!

Other Books in the High Heels Series: #1 Spying in High Heels #2 Killer in High Heels #3 Undercover in High Heels #3.5 Christmas in High Heels (short story) #4 Alibi in High Heels #5 Mayhem in High Heels #5.5 Honeymoon in High Heels (short story) #5.75 Sweetheart in High Heels (novella) #6 Fearless in High Heels #7 Danger in High Heels

"Gemma Halliday writes like a seasoned author leaving the reader hanging on to every word, every clue, every delicious scene of the book. It’s a fun and intriguing mystery full of laughs and suspense." - Once Upon A Romance

From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Gemma Halliday, comes a brand new series...

Her name is Bond. Jamie Bond. And her life is about to be shaken and stirred in a cocktail of sex, lies, scandal, and one very dead body.

Jamie Bond is a former cover model who switches gears to take over the family business: The Bond Agency, a high-powered P.I. firm located in Los Angeles that specializes in domestic espionage—catching cheating husbands. Jamie's assembled a team of other disenchanted former models to help her take names and kick derrieres among L.A.'s wealthiest philandering husbands. Her current client: Mrs. Veronica Waterston, the young, distraught wife of superior court judge, Thomas Waterston, known for his tough sentencing, right-wing leanings, and his fondness for blondes with double D's. Easy target. But Jamie's simple case takes an unexpected turn for the worse when the not-so-good judge winds up on the ten o'clock news with a bullet through his head. It's clear that someone has set Jamie up, and suddenly she's on the run, under fire, and in serious jeopardy of losing it all. With a hot A.D.A. on her trail, a killer on the loose, and her life on the line, Jamie must prove once and for all that nobody messes with a Bond.

From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Gemma Halliday...

Her name is Bond. Jamie Bond. And her luck may have just run out.

P.I. Jamie Bond knows there's corruption in the Los Angeles County D.A.'s office. What she doesn't know is how far it runs and if her on-again, off-again love interest, A.D.A. Aiden Prince, is involved. Is he aware of the danger lurking in his halls of justice? Is he dating his exotic beauty of a co-chair? And why are drug dealers making middle of the night calls to the D.A.? Jamie is determined to find out. But between one case of an "open marriage" wife who fears her husband is secretly monogamous, an Elvis obsessed musician crushing on her employee, and an over-sexed baby-boomer father, Jamie has her hands full. Not to mention one hot photographer, Danny Flynn, who seems determined to take their relationship from "best friend" to "best night of her life." The boundaries between personal and professional blur in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, where no one can be trusted...and not everyone will make it out alive.

Twittercide: the killing of one human being by another while the victim is in the act of tweeting.

Call me crazy, but I figured writing for the Herbert Hoover High Homepage would be a pretty sweet gig. Pad the resume for college applications, get a first look at the gossip column, spend some time ogling the paper's brooding bad-boy editor, Chase Erikson. But on my first big story, things went . . . a little south. What should have been a normal interview with Sydney Sanders turned into me discovering the homecoming queen–hopeful dead in her pool. Electrocuted while Tweeting. Now, in addition to developing a reputation as HHH's resident body finder, I'm stuck trying to prove that Sydney's death wasn't suicide.

I'm starting to long for the days when my biggest worry was whether the cafeteria was serving pizza sticks or Tuesday Tacos. . . .

When fashion designer Maddie Springer is invited to help style contestants in the Hawaiian Paradise Beauty Pageant, she jumps at the chance! The fantastic publicity coupled with a weeklong vacation with her best friends Marco and Dana, is a win-win. But trouble follows her to paradise when one of the beauty queens winds up dead. Is it a case of a personal grudge, a jealous contestant...or a jealous lover? Between a pageant director on his way out, a soap star dazzling his way in, a violent anti-fashion protester, and a whole pageant full of competitive beauty queens, Maddie has her hands full sorting through suspects! Luckily for Maddie—or unluckily?—her wacky cast of friends and family, including LAPD Detective Jack Ramirez, are there to help her wade through motives more plentiful than pineapples at a luau. With the televised crowning approaching, the danger escalating, and a killer on the loose, this is one beauty pageant that's about to turn ugly.

Other Books in the High Heels Series: #1 Spying in High Heels #2 Killer in High Heels #3 Undercover in High Heels #3.5 Christmas in High Heels (short story) #4 Alibi in High Heels #5 Mayhem in High Heels #5.5 Honeymoon in High Heels (novella) #5.75 Sweetheart in High Heels (short story) #6 Fearless in High Heels #7 Danger in High Heels #8 Homicide in High Heels #9 Deadly in High Heels

"Gemma Halliday writes like a seasoned author leaving the reader hanging on to every word, every clue, every delicious scene of the book. It’s a fun and intriguing mystery full of laughs and suspense." - Once Upon A Romance

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